Click to enlarge
On the left is Billy Butler of the Royals. On the right, actor Paul Rudd, who happens to be a big Royals fan. Both men are wearing T-shirts. One of those T-shirts is charmingly simple and remarkably effective; the other is a steaming mess of over-cluttered design (as you can more clearly see here). Imagine if all the guys in this photo had been wearing a shirt like Rudd’s, instead of like Butler’s. Wouldn’t that have been nice? Why couldn’t they have done that? Wait, let me guess.
As bad as that shirt is, however, at least it doesn’t have a big, throbbing apostrophe catastrophe. Ugh.
I wasn’t rooting for the Royals at the start of this series, but they won me over. I’m happy for them and their fans. I’m also happy for all of us who root for shitty MLB teams (something I’ve gotten way too familiar with in recent years), because the Royals’ ascendancy shows that even the worst team can turn it around.
A few other aesthetic notes on the new A.L. champions:
• Here’s something you don’t often get to see: the American League trophy. Quick, what’s its official name? Give yourself a gold star if you knew it’s called the William Harridge Trophy. And who was Harridge? Bonus points if you knew he was the American League president from 1931 to 1959. But here’s the real stumper: What’s a league president?
• In a stunning development, the Royals’ clubhouse celebration featured at least three different brands of goggles (and maybe more!). I for one am disgusted at the commissioner’s office’s failure to designate an Official Pennant-Clinching Protective Goggle of Major League Baseball. Or maybe they did designate one and some of the players were simply wearing unauthorized pennant-clinching goggles, an offense for which they’ll do doubt be fined.
• I’m sure there’s a good reason why Royals pitcher Danny Duffy was celebrating in a bear costume, but I don’t think I want to know what it is. (I’ll say this, though: He’s in good company.)
NFL Superhero Project
By Thomas Correia
My favorite comments lately have been those that support the connection between a hero and an NFL team through some comic book story that I wasn’t aware of (last week, for example, there was a connection between Spidey and Houston). Thanks, and keep up the comments!
This week’s match-up, featuring the Jets and Patriots, was probably the easiest combination of superheroes to figure out (click to enlarge):
For the Jets, I knew I had to use a hero closely associated with the color green, so I decided to go with the Green Lantern, or rather the entire Green Lantern Corps. Plus the most famous Green Lantern in comics was a jet fighter pilot, Hal Jordan, so that clinched it for this choice.
This Patriots logo was actually what inspired this project. I’m a Pats fan, and back in April I saw the film Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which gave me the idea of combining the flying Elvis logo with the most patriotic of superheroes. It was challenging and fun, so I then decided to re-create the entire NFL in the superhero format. So this is the logo you have to thank for what you’ve been seeing the past few weeks.
Next week: Chargers vs. Broncos. Bring on the guesses in the comments below.
Mike’s Question of the Week
By Mike Chamernik
I’ve asked before about your favorite piece of sports memorabilia. Now I’m putting a spin on it: What’s the oldest piece you own? Why have you kept it so long? How have you kept it in good condition? If it’s something that’s on display or even usable, are you worried that you might ruin it? What is the endgame with the item (pass it along, sell it, etc.)?
I have a cool 1950 Wisconsin State Fair race car shirt. I got it from my grandpa (via my dad) a few years ago, and even though it’s 64 years old, it’s still in pristine condition — perfectly white, no flaking on the printing. So even though I think it would fit me nicely, I don’t want to ruin it. So it sits in a drawer. Which makes no sense at all.
Podcast alert: Longtime Uni Watch reader Anthony Verna is an intellectual property attorney. He recently launched a new podcast to address trademark issues, and earlier this week he interviewed me to discuss branding, logo design, and so on. We mostly talked about aesthetic approaches (not so much the legal stuff that’s his bread and butter). You can listen to our discussion here.
Uni Watch News Ticker
By Mike Chamernik
Baseball News: Lots of people sent this in: Royals pitcher Jeremy Guthrie apologized for wearing a “These O’s Ain’t Royal” T-shirt at his postgame press conference Tuesday night. … Red Wing Shoes is selling a throwback boot for a model that was originally designed for Ted Williams (from Tommy Turner). … The illustrations for William Bryce’s “Canadian base ball guide for 1877” are now online at the Canadian Library and Archives’ website — the four links have color illustrations of socks, hats and belts (from Will Scheibler). … Miguel Cabrera stars in a Chrysler ad that has blank jerseys and caps, which I find wildly distracting.
NFL News: “I have noticed that the NFL game balls are darker this year,” says Tony Bruno. “I asked a friend who’s a rep for Wilson, and he said that this year they can use a ball for three weeks instead of new game balls every week. The more they are used, the darker they get.” … The Ravens will wear black tops with pink accessories on Sunday (from Phil). ”¦ Comedian Tom Wrigglesworth, who supposedly looks like Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, got to meet the Packers’ seamstresses, who made up a jersey for him (from Aaron McHargue). ”¦ Here’s a look at Washington’s record in recent years broken down by pants design (from David Cline).
College Football News: Dockers and the NCAA are selling team-branded khakis (from Phil). … Oregon made a video to show how its throwback helmets are made (from Phil). … A TCU player had an upside-down Big 12 logo Saturday (from Phil). … BYU will wear black uniforms next month (from Phil). … USC will wear metallic helmets with chrome facemasks for its homecoming game.
Hockey News: Here’s a look at the Sabres’ uniform history (from Phil). … The Islanders’ fisherman throwbacks reemerged in part because of eBay (from Phil). … Garrett Heller reports that not only are almost all the Reebok-branded jerseys gone from the AHL — they were replaced by CCM jerseys — but that also the popular RibCore hockey stick is now made CCM instead of Reebok. “Makes me think when Reebok’s jersey contract with the NHL expires in a few seasons, the company bidding for renewal will be under the CCM name (rather than Reebok or even the rumor of Adidas),” he says.
Basketball News: Here’s a Knicks uniform timeline. It’s a little hard to read on that link, so use the download button and you’ll get a PDF, which you can enlarge for easier viewing. Those pages are from this year’s Knicks media guide. … The Knicks will wear this patch for games against the Nets before the All-Star break this year. … New away unis for Kansas (from Phil). … New blue jerseys for Florida (from Phil). ”¦ The NBA 2K15 video game shows a new sleeved version of the Raptors’ camouflage jersey (from Sunny Moon). .
Grab Bag: The Seattle Sounders unveiled the (very simplistic) logo for their FC 2 team (from Yusuke Toyoda). … Here’s how your brain processes a logo (from Brinke). … Wilson is selling “Wilson” from the film Cast Away. Timely! … I don’t usually pimp my work here at Uni Watch, but here’s something some of you might find interesting: I have an Instagram account where I post pics of what I’m most interested in – jerseys and cool signs from around Chicago. Follow me if you please.
If only the New York Hal Jordans were playing a yellow team…
Hmmm… Vikings as Sinestro? (nah)
throwback bumbleSteelers?
I especially like that you have a DC hero vs. a Marvel hero. Very appropriate.
Thanks, although it doesn’t work out that way every week See Week 3 (9/18) & Week 6 (10/9).
Trying to think of what could be used next week, and I’m just hitting a wall.
For the Broncos, I can only think of two possibilities, both from Marvel, and ranking medium to really high on the obscurity list: either Beta Ray Bill (the “alien Thor”), or the alien horse-guy who gave kiddie superhero team Power Pack their powers.
Haha, Beta Ray Bill! People would’ve thought I made him up just to shoehorn him in for the Broncos.
My earliest memorabilia has to be early 1950’s baseball cards, none of which have much sentimental value. While not particularly old, I was handed down every Boston Red Sox yearbook from 1967 on, all in pretty good condition. Those will be keepers, as they were my mother’s (who started collecting at age 15 and still collects today).
Re: QOTW
My earliest item is a 1929 American League schedule booklet. A small corner piece has been torn off and the games have all been scored, but that’s why it’s one of my favourite skeds. It’s a pocket schedule that was used for it’s intended purpose: being in someone’s pocket to follow the games.
Earliest item that I had as a kid and kept: a late 70’s Montreal Canadiens “Stanley Cup Champions” pennant that I bought at my first NHL exhibition game back at the Halifax Metro Centre back in September of ’79.
Certainly not as vintage as some of these other mentions, but my favorite older thing is either a Doug Flutie game jersey from the 1985 Cotton Bowl (interestingly enough it had custom directions saying additional two inches of width on the right sleeve – his throwing arm) or a prop baseball jersey from the movie ‘The Natural’.
screen-used, or reproduction?
Mine is a 50’s-60’s Reds pennant. (Mr Redlegs flying over Crosley Field on a baseball bat.) My dad had two. I have 5 brothers and one sister. Not sure how I ended up with one. It’s hanging in my sons room.
Here’s one on e-bay for $40. Mine’s in similar condition. For most of my life, I thought dad highlighted it with a marker for some dumb reason until the internet came along and I saw it was supposed to be that way for some dumb reason. link
Oldest piece memorabilia: a T206 baseball card similar to this:
link
ed
My dad has this link card. I guess that’s as good of an answer that I have for the QOTW. I think other than that card most of my old memorabilia comes from the early 90’s sometime.
Ed and CFKAEB — How much are those cards worth? I always hear about the Wagner T206 but no other players.
Good condition for my card (Hahn) is about $40 on ebay.
ed
I own a red 1945 Detroit Tigers World Series champions pennant. I got it back in 1985. Traded a guy a nice Detroit Tigers t-shirt for it. We both didn’t know the value of the pennant at the time.
The upside-down Big 12 logo is used to honor the heritage of the Big 8. I think usually more than one player has it this way on each team.
They do the same thing on their basketball courts and football fields, where they have XII (the Roman numeral for 12 – for the Big 12) on one end and IIX (the Roman numeral for 8 – for the Big 8) on the other end.
No…. They actually do that so that fans on both sides of the arena can see a “right side up” logo… and it’s not just the big 12… a lot of conferences and teams do that…
link
IIX is not anything like the roman numerals for 8, that would be VIII
I think IIX works as an 8 in the same way that IIII is a 4 on most clocks & watches. It’s not really correct, but everyone knows what it means.
“I think usually more than one player has it this way on each team.”
~~~
Interesting. Do you have any pics of any other players doing this? Initially I chalked this up to equipment manager error, but if it’s a conscious, deliberate thing, then that’s way different.
As far as THE’s comment (that it “works”), yeah…it “works” but it’s NOT correct (and is even more egregious than “IIII” instead of “IV” for the arabic numeral 4).
Love to see other examples of the IIX logo on Big 12 teams.
Well …maybe that’s not so egregious.
link
“The “standard” forms described above reflect typical modern usage rather than a universally accepted convention. Usage in ancient Rome varied greatly and remained inconsistent in medieval and modern times.[7]
Roman inscriptions, especially in official contexts, seem to show a preference for additive forms such as IIII and VIIII instead of (or even as well as) subtractive forms such as IV and IX. Both methods appear in documents from the Roman era, even within the same document. “Double subtractives” also occur, such as XIIX or even IIXX instead of XVIII. Sometimes V and L are not used, with instances such as IIIIII and XXXXXX rather than VI or LX.[8][9]”
That might sense for a school that had actually been in the Big 8 not the SWC?
I own this pennant c. 1969 or so. Got it on a family reunion trip to Chicago. Mine has multiple holes in the corners of course. It’s in a plastic sleeve now.
link
And this pin too.
link
Love that cartoony pennant.
According to this link, the Royals player in question is actually Danny Duffy – and the bear suit is a reference to the show “Workaholics”.
link
The Griz Coat!! link, indeed popularized by Blake from Workaholics
Pitchers better have my money…
honey… honey, I said!
Does USC wearing these helmets qualify to remove them from the incredibly small list of NCAA teams that don’t do any sort of alternate?
Sure as hell does.
If the ‘Skins were even remotely close to playing .500 ball over the past few years then perhaps a pants study would make sense (or at least lend *some* data). But when they have lost 68% of their games I think it’s safe to say it’s not ANY of their pants causing the problems!!
But,.. the gold pants with white jerseys is perhaps THE best look in the NFL right now.
These days, the Redskins look their best in burgundy-over-yellow.
I long for the return of the Redskins in burgundy pants, provided they are worn only with their white jerseys.
I think the fact that the Skins stink makes the charts even funnier.
QOTW:
Actually I forgot I have my dad’s old baseball glove (or two). Can’t remember the make/model off the top of head though. They are likely from the 40’s.
The Warren Giles National League trophy is much cooler looking.
link
I love the fact that the Giles Trophy is traveling, while a new Harridge Trophy is made every year.
Sort of like the Stanley Cup?
Exactly. Only you can’t drink from it.
T-shirts are not literature. An apostrophe on a t-shirt should be considered a design element, not a punctuation mark.
It “should be” correct, if it wants to be intelligible English.
To claim that a mark that looks incredibly similar to an apostrophe, placed where an apostrophe should be placed, in the place of something universally known and easily omitted (the 20 in 2014) is not “intelligible” is just indefensible.
A design element that consists of a big, throbbing grammatical error is a failed design element.
So, no one knows what that mark means? Um hm. I have my own pet peeves too, but eventually I have to admit that they are my own personal peeves, not a violation of some cosmic law. This neither violates the cosmic laws of grammar or design.
*nor
Actually, it does violate the “laws” of grammar. That’s what grammar is: A set of rules to aid in the understanding of language. That the apostrophe does violate English grammar is not debatable: It is a fact.
As to design, that’s a separate question that arises from the fact of the grammar violation. Now, plenty of good design succeeds while breaking other rule sets, including rules of grammar. In design, the only two questions that matter are 1) What is the purpose of a design choice; and 2) Does the choice actually serve that purpose. So, is there any purpose being served by reversing this particular apostrophe? It would seem not. Correctly orienting the apostrophe would not appear to affect the design in any way whatsoever. That means that the reversed apostrophe is either an error or it’s a gratuitous design choice. In either event, it is, on grounds that are as close to objective as is possible, bad design.
To paraphrase Steve Jobs, too many people confuse “design” with “looking good”. Design is the sensory interaction between a user and a product.
Industrial design is, to be sure.
I guess driving a Chrysler instead of a luxury brand is one way of avoiding a secuestro when back home.
I have a baseball bat which was used by my Great-Great Uncle back in the 1930’s for the semi pro team he played for in Arizona. Its displayed in my garage.
That’s very cool.
I have a photo of my great-grandfather’s college football team, but equipment would be amazing.
Which, now that I think about it, makes my response below a lie. The 1902 cabinet photo is older than my 1913 Brewers pennant. And the photo is on display, framed in the hall of my apartment.
I have a big collection of 1977 Topps baseball cards, one of which I wear every day on my security lanyard. Today’s player is Bernie Carbo.
I know the name, but don’t know WHY I know the name.
please remind me.
(I’m too lazy to goggle him).
thank you,
Carbo’s most famous for his pinch-hit 3-run homer in Game 6 of the 1975 WS, that sent the game into extra innings and set the stage for Carlton Fisk to forever be a part of baseball lore. A good hitter who never fully realized his potential, partly b/c he partied waaaaaay too much …
I think the latter is why I remember the name!
I’m typically a fan of traditional uniforms, but I always liked the red and black Sabres uniforms way more than any iteration of blue and yellow.
The red sweater with the “bowling ball and butter knives” look as that writer called it remains one of my all time favorites to this day.
I enjoy the red and black Sabres look, too. Take me back to 1999.
Speaking of Hollywood, check out today’s tweet on movie helmets at my twitter page, @wthelmets. Please feel free to follow. I’m a longtime supporter and contributor to UniWatch and the ticket! Thanks!
QOTW: My oldest piece of memorabilia, or at least the piece I’ve owned the longest, is this link featuring the Barrelman. I proudly waved it at County Stadium for parts of three decades, even at the 1982 ALCS when everybody else was sporting their ball-in-glove logo gear. I’ve had it on display at various points of my life, although not now, but the reason it’s down now is more lack of place to put it than concern for it.
The oldest piece in terms of the item’s age, on the other hand, is this link. “Oh, you Brewers!” was a popular fan slogan that season.
That one is in storage. I’d love to put it up, but I don’t have the capacity at the moment to display it without feeling it’s not going to deteriorate.
QOTW: My oldest is a T206 Nap Lajoie. I bought it when I was a kid – so that would be about 30 years ago. My Dad was a big sports fan and from him I’ve got a sweet (though not in great condition) program from the Army – Navy game in the mid-50s. Miss you Dad.
Other than baseball cards, which go back to around 1960, my oldest is a scorecard from my first MLB game, at Crosley Field in 1965. A young 2B named Pete Rose was chatting with someone at the railing before the game and I got him to autograph it, although unfortunately all I had was a pencil. It’s still quite visible. I should probably keep it in plastic or something, or in a frame, but I don’t.
Say it ain’t so USC! I hope this isn’t a sign that they’ll soon be joining the ranks of the ridiculously uniformed majority.
QOTW: My collection of autographed Dodgers postcards from the 80s.
When I was about 10 years old, I wrote letters to most of the Dodgers on the 1981 squad. I didn’t have any sense of formality – no SASE, no enclosed baseball card or anything for them to return – just a letter stating the Dodgers were my favorite team and I would love to have their autograph.
Wouldn’t you believe it, but several of them wrote back. Dusty Baker, Ron Cey, Steve Yeager, Manny Mota, Bill Russell, and others, sent back Dodgers team issued postcards with their signatures. Some wrote nice comments on the postcard. I still remember Baker’s nice words.
Over the years I added more, learning that it was courteous to send a baseball card with a SASE for better return rate. They are all in a binder in plastic pages. I haven’t looked at them in years. As far as where they will end up, I’m not even sure my family knows about them. When I’m gone, someone will stumble across it, wonder what this was all about, and toss it out!
QotW: If football cards count, I have a small number of AFL cards from 1963. If not, then it’d be a few football & baseball pennants from the early 80’s. Not sure which is actually the oldest though, since they don’t have dates printed on them. I’ve got an LA Raiders Superbowl 18 champions, which would be 1984, but I’ve also got undated Oakland A’s, San Francisco Giants and Tampa Bay Bucs, which look like they could be older due to being more discolored.
I have a game-worn Mean Joe Greene jersey that usually stays in a garment bag in my closet. It hangs near the TV whenever the Steelers are on (which in Texas is, regrettably, not very often).
Did it cost you a coca cola?
Mike, that link is amazing. What a treasure.
Thanks – it’s so cool! I’m debating whether I should keep it tucked away for safekeeping (I guess just to see how long I could keep it) or if I should wear it.
Get one of those shirt frames and hang it on your wall. On display with no wear! It’s way cool; I’d hate to hear you wore it an got chocolate on it or something!
Excellent idea. You’re right — there would be a 100 percent chance I’d manage to dirty that shirt up the first time I wear it.
When I was in high school I really wanted a soccer goalkeeper jersey, but I didn’t play organized soccer and it seemed at the time a major extravagance, so my mom wound up making me one. It’s green and black mesh with padded elbows. Over the years, through various moves, spring cleanings, etc., it’s the oldest sports item I have that has survived and is a treasured keepsake. Endgame may very well to be buried in it.
Jimmy Iovine of Beats by Dre link.
The whole Monster/Beats story is so shitty for the original designers. I can’t help but dislike Iovine for that and won’t buy Beats headphones.
link
Yeah, I was thinking how awkward it is to call Iovine a “co-founder”. But he’s not a co-owner so they had to come up with a title other than “Highly Compensated Brand Manager within Apple”.
QotW – My oldest piece of memorabilia recently ran in the ticker: Nana’s link.
Adding to Garrett Heller’s observations, longtime Reebok users Patrice Bergeron (Boston) and Dion Phaneuf (Toronto) have recently switched to CCM. Going from Reebok to CCM is basically like going from the Mercury Sable to the Ford Taurus. Same exact stuff, different stickers. I predict that Sidney Crosby will be the very last Reebok athlete. Then the killing of Reebok Hockey will be official.
I hope Reebok sells off CCM.
If the big companies like Nike, Easton and later Reebok hadn’t come into hockey during the Roller hockey boom of the 90s, I wonder if equipment would still be made in Canada and I could still have a nice top of the line wood stick for $30.
I don’t know how parents can afford equipment for their travel hockey kids today. I can’t imagine asking my Dad for $700 for skates, $150 for a helmet, or $200 for a stick.
Hasn’t Reebok been pretty clear about their intention to exit pro sports and focus exclusively on the fitness/ Crossfit market?
QOTW:
My oldest piece of memorabilia is an extremely rare Met styrofoam ball that pre-dates the franchise’s first game and is signed by player Gil Hodges. The balls were thrown to the crowd at the parade the Mets were given prior to their first game. It may be one of the few still in existence. It is detailed here:
link
It was given to me by my Uncle Larry, who passed away two days ago at age 88. RIP.
It was prior to their first HOME game…should clarify. They played April 11, 1962 in St. Louis. The parade was April 12 and the first home game April 13.
I wonder who made the decision to give the comedian Tom a retail jersey from Marge. Standing next to Rodgers made his retail jersey look like a garbage bag. For $300.00.
I still don’t accept the rebuttal about the average weight of the consumer. Soccer jerseys sell in all sizes and so do basketball jerseys, etc. Nike is weird. A lost opportunity in my opinion.
Technically, CCM is owned by Reebok (which is owned by adidas),so would the Reebok contract have to expire, or could they simply rebadge the sweaters they already make as CCM? Notice the same thing with Jofa; even though Jofa was and is a protective equipment company, it appears that Reebok decided to brand referee’s sweaters as Jofa.
How about oldest item that has only been in my possession?
I was born 16 days after the Tigers won their last World Series in ’84. When I was born someone gave me a team set of Detroit tigers 1984 baseball cards that I still have.
Isn’t the CBS logo just as simple as the eye represents the viewer watching tv?
So if I create some sockpuppet accounts and bid up ebay auctions for Coyotes “Picasso” jerseys and Caps “screaming eagle” jerseys, there’s a chance the NHL will bring them back on the ice? Sweet. Now I just need to find a crazy millionaire to finance my scheme.
Paul
Will you tint your Twitter avatar purple today, in support of #SpiritDay to take a stand against bullying, and support @YouCanPlayTeam ?
QotD: That’s actually kind of a toughie. My first reaction was my 1965 Minnesota Twins American League championship sweatshirt, which was really from 1991, and was a going-off-to-college gift from my folks in early ’92. Certainly the oldest piece of clothing of any sort I own. (At least in terms of how long I’ve owned it; I have a few vintage ties and whatnot that are physically older.) But then I remembered that I have in a box somewhere my ticket and program from Game Six of the 1987 World Series, which is technically memorabilia. Then I remembered that I know I had my 1987 Homer Hankie prior to Game Six, so that’s older by at least a week.
But then I glanced over at my shelf of random memorabilia, and I realized I’ve got a Kellogg’s “3-D Super Stars” lenticular card of Mike Schmidt, my all-time favorite player, from 1978. I think that’s the oldest thing I can come up with. But it’s funny; if I hadn’t made a conscious effort to think about it, I’d have said that sweatshirt.
Yesss, I’ve got an ’88 Mets “StriKeout” hanky, and the accompanying ticket stub from that game. Probably highest sentimental value of anything I have.
The oldest piece of sports memorabilia that I personally own is a 1966 World Champions pennant for the Orioles. My father owns quite a bit of old Penn State Football memorabilia, but I don’t get that handed down to me for quite a while.
QOTW: I have an authentic, but not game-used, American Football League football with the signature of Commissioner Joe Foss. It probably dates from 1963 or so. It was given to me by my Dad, who got it from a friend who worked for the Denver Broncos when the AFL was just getting started.
Nice!
QOTW: I have a 1924 Syracuse v. Columbia football ticket stub. Game was played at the Polo Grounds.
QOTW: I have a handful of old baseball books from the mid- to late 1950s. They were my dad’s when he was growing up, and he gave them to me when I was around nine years old. These include some old “Who’s Who in Baseball” paperbacks and a Sporting News Baseball Register. They’re definitely showing the wear of two generations of young boys poring over them with devoted interest, so they’re not quite in the condition that collectors would pay top dollar for. But their sentimental value far outweighs whatever their market price would be anyway.
beside some Goody Baseball cards from the 30s, my oldest is a 1947 World Series program (game 4 ~ Bevins almost No Hitter). My neighbor played hookey from work and went to the game. He gave me the program when he was cleaning his house before moving. (I was 12 when he gave it to me)
Really great stories, everyone!
Chamernik: I don’t always participate in QOTW, but I love that it exists. Makes for a really cool conversation and it does a great job of showing personalities here on Uni Watch.
My oldest piece of memorabilia is probably a baseball signed by Will Clark, then of the SF Giants. My dad was a podiatrist in New Orleans, and Clark’s mother was a patient in the office. Will Clark came with his mother that day. According to my dad, Will Clark dismissed Doc Gooden as a “50-50 pitcher.” (He’s either gonna throw you a fastball or a curveball.) And Will’s mother was very happy to tell my dad that “Raffy’s on steroids.” Even back then!
Many good things about this site, but I think the QOTW has become my favorite thing.
I used to have a Chicago Cardinals pennant, which is now in my brother’s possession. So the oldest thing I have is probably my 1970 Pirates souvenir batting helmet. Still fits, by the way.
Great to hear, guys – there are always thoughtful responses, and I like hearing what people have to say. I just hope to keep conjuring up good questions.
That’s great with the souvenir batting helmet. I still have like 12 of those things from when I was a kid. They’re kind of odd though, because it’s not like you can wear them in public without being a weirdo.
You can wear them for wiffleball. If I can ever get a game together, you and your helmets are invited.
All 30 NHL teams redone as Transformers:
link
Any attempt at merging a childhood favorite with a sports league is ok by me! I like the Boston Bees!
I have an autograph of HOF pitcher Red Ruffing. Dad got it at a USO event ca. 1942.
QOTW:
1955 NY Daily news from the day the Dodgers finally won the World Series that was given to my as a gift. I had it framed along with some baseball cards. I’m hoping to pass it along to my daughter. If she doesn’t want it, I’d give it to a fellow Dodger fan.
Of things from my childhood, I have a cassette tape from the late 1970s called “Inside Dodger Stadium.” The case is white and shows an overhead picture of the stadium. The cassette itself features promotional interviews with Lasorda and others extolling the virtues of the Dodgers and future of the team.
So next week is the Chargers and Broncos. For the Chargers, I can think of two, either the Spider-Man villain Electro, or more likely, Black Lightning since his costume is similar. As for the Broncos, I’m going blank. I thought maybe a connection with Peyton Manning and Superman (the horse on the helmet is using what looks like super breath and has an orange mane, similar to a cape, but I’ve never been a fan of the Broncos).
Good guess for Electro (which I did consider), but I went different… HINT: Think fast as lightning.
As for Denver, I went with the retro D logo… HINT: Think orange/blue antihero.
Well, that really throws me off, then.
The Broncos one, anyway. Just saw the Chargers comment, and realized the obvious speedster possibilities.
Flash would be pretty obvious as he’s the most well-known, though Quicksilver would fit well as his longest-running costume is powder blue and white.
Orange and blue antihero? I was thinking the Thing, but I have never thought of him as an antihero. Then it hit me when you said retro logo and Denver had that orange D, so I’m going to go with Deathstroke.
Rob got Quicksilver and Rick got Deathstroke. Good work guys!
Y’all never heard of Lightning Lad? There’s your obvious choice.
link
Wow that’s so not happening, but nice try.
QOTW: Disregarding baseball cards… The oldest piece of memorabilia I have is a game-used baseball from the 1978 world series. It is a commemorative ball that says “75th World Series”. My Dad caught a foul ball during one of the games. The story goes he told his friends at the game that he caught it for me (I was born in late October 1978, so my mom was REALLY pregnant at the time he snagged it).
QOTW: Piece I’ve had the longest in some form is the 1974-75 Loblaws NHL Action Players “sticker” album that I mentioned in the last memorabilia QOTW.
Oldest piece is probably the 1936 Winter Olympics cards from Germany – purchased all the hockey related cards plus one postcard.
Here’s an example of one of the cards on Ebay:
link
QOTW – I have several 1955 Windsor RSL Speedway programmes – slighty yellowed and dog-eared, but still legible. I have been researching the history of the speedway for over 10 years, and live just around the corner from where the speedway was located. I’ll eventually hand over the programs, plus the rest of my memorabilia to either the local library or historical association.
By that video, Oregon screwed the helmets up. The be 1994 accurate, the interlocking UO needs to be outlined in white. The black outlined version didn’t come out until 1997, I believe. It looks like they had extra decals laying around from the last throwback game that they decided to use. Interestingly enough, the interlocking UO on the Nike mock-up photos are accurate.
Also, the number “2” is incorrect. Instead of being true to the original, they just used the basic Nike “2.”
Example of the original: link
Wrong 2: link
Does anyone know where one could purchase the beautifully simple KC Monarchs shirt Paul Rudd is wearing in the main picture?
As Paul notes, I’d much rather wear that than the “official” shirt – and I’m a Royals fan who has been waiting for 29 years.
thanks you gan